I'm raising funds for the National Autistic Society and want to try an experiment.

My son, Russell, was on the aspergers spectrum and worked hard all through his school life to achieve his best in spite of general lack of knowledge by his teachers and peers about his condition. He didn't want to be singled out as different although he knew and everyone recognised that he was.

He had a huge circle of friends but his teachers generally saw him as a disruptive, lazy, awkward child.

In spite of this he persevered and passed his exams and gained a university place to study geology.

His lifelong ambition was to work in the oil and gas exploration industry.

As with many people he struggled with social interactions and was frequently misunderstood.

Sadly he took his own life in November 2013, aged 20, for reasons we will never full understand.

We were planning a big celebration for his 21st birthday on 24th March 2014.

I care for S, who is 27. (I have cared for him since he was 9.) He has classic autism, epilepsy, IBS & sensory modulation difficulties. When he is anxious his behaviour can be challenging, he communicates using a Dynavox.